KATHMANDU, JUNE 29

Muslims across the country are observing Bakra-Eid with zest and zeal, today.

The festival, also known as Eid al-Adha, falls on the 70th day after the Ramadan, the nine month of the Hijri (Islamic lunar calendar).

The festival is observed commemorating the moment when Ibrahim, the first of the Old Testament who became ready to sacrifice his son at the command of Allah, the Muslim God, some 1435 years back as per the Hijri calendar.

On this day, Muslims visit mosques, madrasas and Eidgah and offer their prayers to Allah, observe Namaj and exchange greetings to each other. They also observe a stringent dawn-to-dusk fast today.

Reading Namaj, observing Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca Medina), Roja (fasting), offering donations and sacrifices are the five main good deeds supposed to be followed by the Muslim people.

The government has declared a public holiday today on the occasion of Bakra Eid.